Psalm 44: Redeem us Because of Your Unfailing Love

Psalms 42–72 are in the second scroll of the Psalms. The human authors of book two include the sons of Korah, Asaph, David, and Solomon. Psalms 42 and 43 are individual lament psalms. Psalm 44 is a community (national) lament psalm. It is describing Israel’s defeat in battle.

Our Bible study rule for this week is:

Rule # 4: Interpret each passage according to the divine and human author’s purpose and plan.  The “purpose” is the object, goal, and/or reason for the writing of this book, chapter, section, and verse. The plan is the author’s literary method or structure for communicating his purpose. The purpose of the gospel of John is “to produce faith that you might believe Jesus is God and receive everlasting life through Jesus.” The plan of the book of Acts is 1) Jerusalem & Judea; 2) Samaria; 3) Gentile world.

   I. Rehearsing God’s past acts of deliverance (vs. 1–3)

      A. God’s people participated in redemptive history

      B. God’s people shared with their children the mighty acts of God

      C. God’s power caused Israel to be established in the land of Canaan

      D. Israel had been granted God’s election, love and favor (grace)

      E. “Flourishing” is part of the covenantal blessing to be fruitful and multiply

  II. Rekindling confidence in God based on the past (vs. 4–8)

      A. God is the great king who is close to His people

      B. God, as king, decree’s the sons of Jacob’s salvations, deliverances, victories

      C. Trusting in God, the cause and source, not the means, tools, weapons

      D. Boasting only in God, praising His name alone and continually

      E. Instead of national pride, humble reliance on the God of Israel

III. Facing the present suffering, disgrace, and shame (vs. 9–16)

      A. God has withdrawn His presence and protection from the army of Israel

      B. Without God, Israel cannot win

      C. They lost the battle and had to retreat

      D. They were beaten and plundered

      E. The POWs were sold as slaves

      F. God’s people are suffering like Job

      G. Now they are disgraced and humiliated

      H. Shame has set in and is doing its damage

       I. How can the God of our fathers abandon us?

IV. The claim of innocence (vs. 17–22)

      A. This is completely true of the faithful remnant only, but under David’s united kingdom 

            idolatry and evil were not as widespread as it would be from Solomon onward

      B. Because God’s people belong to Him, suffering and mistreatment will come by those who 

           hate God

      C. This dark providence is not a result of a chastisement based on violating the covenant

      D. The inner man, hearts of the people, were remaining faithful to Yahweh

      E. The actions (feet) of the people were in conformity to His law

      F. Desolation and darkness instead of construction and light (jackals = desert wolves)

      G. The heart is the seat of sin and of worship, God see’s all - outward conformity is never 

           enough, love motivated obedience starts in the inner man of the person of faith

      H. How does someone who hates the invisible God attempt to harm Him?

           By attacking his people. They are suffering “vicariously” as substitutes like sheep, Isa 53:7

       I. They are suffering for God's sake (Rom 8:36)

       J. When a nation brings on God’s wrath, the remnant suffers with the wicked in some 

           general ways

       K. Matthew 10:16 “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as 

            serpents and innocent as doves.”

 V. A prayer for deliverance/salvation (vs. 23–26)

      A. Notice there is no answer to the question why God would allow His people to suffer even 

           when they are being faithful to Him (health, wealth, prosperity?)

      B. In faith the community looks to God for deliverance

      C. They need God’s immediate attention and salvation now (figurative language)

      D. God, don’t ignore our misery and oppression

      E. In humble dependence they bow down to the ground in worship (2 Cor 12:7)

      F. Divine Warrior come to our aid

     G. They need redemption in body and soul, only God can do it

     H. In faith, they rest in the promise of God, His hesed covenant love 

          (Exod 34:6–7; Mic 7:18, 20; Rom 8:36–39)

Lessons to Live by:

● We need to read of God’s past mighty acts in the Bible and believe His true truth

● Our confidence in the present is affirmed by the word of God and our memories of God’s past deliverances

● When a nation is under God’s discipline or wrath they need to call out in prayer and repentance

● Suffering and shame are part of a fallen world. But Jesus suffered for us and bore our shame, so we can press on with God confidence and faith

● The internal is more important than the external, but they both must go together

● Only God can redeem us, not based on what we deserve, but by His hesed

Psalm 40: Great is Thy Faithfulness

 A prayer for future deliverance after recounting God’s past deliverances

This Psalm, written by David, is similar to Psalm 27 and Psalm 70. It is a royal prayer that begins with confidence and thanksgiving for what God has done. Then it moves to praying for the present difficulties that need divine intervention.

Our Bible study rule is:

RULE #3: Interpret each passage based on the grammar used in each sentence. Pay attention to the verbs (tenses: past, present, future), subjects, pronouns, adjectives, adverbs, preposition, etc. Use a dictionary and an English grammar book for help. If the passage is difficult to understand, label the key words grammatically and note their relationships to each other.

Many of the psalms and other Old Testament passages are written with a special form that is called a chiasm. It has a special pattern that has greater emphasis on the information in the center (D. and D`.) and there are parallels throughout the literary unit (A and A,` B and B,` etc.).

A. A personal experience of divine salvation (vs. 1–3)

     B. The blessing of Yahweh’s protection (vs. 4–5)

          C. A statement of commitment (vs. 6–8)

               D. A proclamation of God’s character (vs. 9–10)

               D`. A prayer based on God’s character (vs. 11)

          C`. A confession of sin (vs. 12)

     B`. A prayer for God’s protection (vs. 13–16)

A`. A personal need of divine salvation (vs. 17)

  I. A personal experience of divine salvation (vs. 1–3)

     A. Waiting patiently was rewarded

     B. The rescue was accomplished by God

     C. Quick sand, Jeremiah in the pit

     D. This may have been a terminal illness from which David was healed 

     E. The nation of Israel was delivered by God just as David was

     F. The rock is a symbol of God’s protection and defense

    G. God’s salvation results in worship, singing thanksgiving unto God

    H. God’s interventions can be seen and results in reverence and trust in Yahweh

 II. The blessing of Yahweh’s protection (vs. 4–5)

      A. Reflection on the life of faith

      B. Pride and idols bring curses

      C. Faith and obedience bring blessings

      D. God’s supernatural providential interventions are the “wonders”

           (Daniel and his friends)

      E. The history of redemption records many deliverances

III. A statement of commitment (vs. 6–8)

     A. Dedication and gratitude show that mere formalism does not do the job

     B. Ritual are not enough; Saul offered a sacrifice wrongly and lost the kingdom

     C. These words go beyond David and are Messianic (Heb 10:5–10)

     D. The O.T. predicted the Messiah’s coming

     E. Loving God with all our heart is first and foremost

     F. The procedure without the heart is never good enough

IV. A proclamation of God’s character (vs. 9–10)

      A. Proclamation of God’s saving acts is a duty

      B. God is righteous, faithful, loving, saving, truthful

      C. Proclamation is to the worshiping assembly

      D. God acts for the benefit of His kingdom and His covenant 

 V. A prayer based on God’s character (vs. 11)

      A. Waiting on God again for deliverance

      B. A new crisis has arisen for David or the nation

      C. David needs God’s hesed (covenant love) and mercy

VI. A confession of sin (vs. 12)

       A. My iniquities or the nations has caused this chastisement

       B. The consequence of sin always involves pain

       C. David goes to God for help even when the problem is his fault because he is in a covenant 

            relationship with God

VII. A prayer for God’s protection (vs. 13–16)

       A. David needs immediate deliverance       

       B. My enemies need to be stopped by God

       C. Those that love God praise and worship Him

       D. Believers seek God and His glory

VIII. A personal need of divine salvation (vs. 17)

        A. My help my deliverer (savior) is the Yahweh

        B. He does not doubt God’s ability to save

Lessons to Live by:

• We are prone to quickly forget God’s past deliverances. When we are going through a new trial we should look back to God’s past acts in the Bible and in our lives

• God is faithful, righteous, true, and keeps His covenant promises

• We need to reaffirm our confidence in God and proclaim His greatness

• We need to trust God for salvation

• We need to confess our sins to God and take responsibility for our iniquities

• We need to go to God our Savior in prayer—He alone can deliver us

• Once we do our part, we need to wait on God 

Psalm 39: Looking for Help at the Right Place

This Psalm is an “individual lament.” This is a poetic prayer asking God to step in and change a desperate situation. This is the late-night cry of the soul out to God about the dark providences' frail humans face in a fallen world full of evil spirits, evil people, faltering friends, and a cursed natural order. A Hymn praises God for who He is or thanks Him for what He has done. A lament begs God for help in times of crisis. Most laments include: 1) An address to God; 2) Complaint; 3) Confession of trust in God; 4) Petition to God; 5) Words of assurance; 6) Vow of praise.

Our Bible study rule for this week is:

RULE #2: Interpret each passage according to the correct meaning of the words used in the verse.  For serious study, use a dictionary and a concordance to be sure of what the key words mean. Each context will limit the possible meanings for each word. Different translations, commentaries, and Hebrew or Greek lexicons are additional sources to help you see the range of nuances each term has and how this context limits those choices. (Think of the English term: trunk. What are some of the possible meanings? How does the context, “The car’s trunk was scratched,” limit the possible meanings?)

   I. Silence before the LORD (Yahweh). vs 1–3 

      A. Address to God: I am going to hold my peace in front of the wicked. vs. 1

           1. I don’t want to be irreverent to God and sin with my mouth.

           2. I don’t want to give evil people additional reasons to blaspheme God.

      B. Complaint: My silence increased my internal agonizing pain.  vs. 2

           1. I kept my murmuring from coming out of my mouth.

           2. I am submitting to God, but I must call on Him for help

      C. Complaint: My emotions were not as easy to control as I thought. vs. 3

           1. I need help.

           2. I must go to God in prayer.

  II. A prayer for the gift of God’s wisdom and discernment. vs. 4–6

      A. Petition to God: Help me come to terms with how short life is. vs. 4

      B. Address to God: Life is brief. I want to go miles, instead I go inches. vs. 5

      C. Address to God: Humans are mortal and can’t control what happens. vs. 6

          1. Compared to God, men are not that important

          2. After death, they have no significant say in their affairs

III. A prayer for salvation. vs. 7–8

      A. Confession of trust: My trust is in the Lord (Adonai).  vs. 7

           1. There is no place else for the righteous to go.

           2. I hope in and wait for the Lord’s salvation.

      B. Petition to God: Save me from all of my violations of your law. vs. 8

           1. Save me from the power of sin.

           2. Save me from the love of and control of sin.

     C. Petition to God: Do not let the fools of the earth laugh me to scorn. vs. 8

IV. Silence before the Lord. vs. 9

      A. Address to God: Lord, I was silent partially because I know You allowed this. vs. 9 

      B. Acknowledgment of God’s sovereignty and secret providence vs.9

          1. God may be using sickness, old age, or evil people to bring this chastisement.

          2. God chastises through secondary means those whom He loves.

          3. This difficult thing has been the Lord’s will up until now.

          4. I willingly accept this is for my ultimate good even though I do not understand

 V. A prayer for grace, strength, and deliverance. vs. 10–11

      A. Petition to God: I repent of my sin, remove the spanking from me. vs. 10

      B. Address to God: Men are frail, life is brief, your chastisement is strong. vs. 11

          1. God rebukes His people when they sin

          2. God disciplines His people when they sin

          3. Covenant violators receive the futility curse for their rebellion

VI. A prayer for restoration to fellowship. vs. 12–13

      A. Petition to God: Yahweh, please answer my prayer. vs. 12a

           1. Prayer for forgiveness.

           2. Prayer for deliverance, salvation.

      B. Address to God: God, you are great and I am not. vs. 12b

           1. I am an illegal alien before you. I don’t deserve blessings.

           2. I am waiting for Your promises to be fulfilled like my fathers.

      C. Petition to God: LORD, I repent, remove the chastisement. vs. 13

           1. I long to be restored to close fellowship with You.

           2. I want to find my joy in you again.

           3. I am a weak human, have mercy on me. (Made from dust.)

Lessons to Live By:

1. There is a time to be silent and a time to speak. When God chastises us for sin, it is time to speak a genuine prayer of repentance. The pain awakens us to how deeply we have sinned against a holy God who hates all sin.

2. We should fear and reverence God, even when in deep pain. We should honestly but reverently express our souls to Yahweh in prayer.

3. The Bible tells us that we should number our days, because life is short. (17,338 days) We need the biblical wisdom to not live for the now, but to live for eternity. If you belong to God, you will have your best life later. Heaven is not here and is not yet.

4. Keep short accounts with God. Stay clean (1 John 1:9) confessing your sin, living lives of repentance and faith, so that you can also stay close to God in sweet fellowship.

5. Human pride is a dangerous thing. God is great, men are frail. God is sovereign, men are slaves. God is holy, men are sinners. God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.

Psalm 37: Wise Living Among Wicked People

This is a wisdom psalm in an alphabet/acrostic form (Analyze [your] Bible Continually, Daily Exegeting [it] Fully & Gracefully w/ Holy Intensity & Journaling, Kingdom Living Modeling). When one uses this form, the material is not always in logical order, but is in alphabetical order. This wisdom psalm is also like Psalm 1, 49, 73, and the book of Proverbs.  This week we will also consider an important rule for Bible study. 

RULE #1: Interpret each passage based on its context. The context is King for most interpretation problems. Context is the verses before and after the verse you are studying. Read them and think. Pay attention to the flow of ideas in each paragraph.

(For more insights see Willem VanGemeren, Derek Kidner, and Charles Spurgeon on Psalm 37)

Theme: How can a just God allow the wicked to prosper and the righteous to be afflicted?

  I. A call to hope in Yahweh’s deliverance (vs. 1–6) 

     A. Be careful with how you respond to the wicked—no anger, resentment, or jealousy

     B. Keep eternity in view, get the big picture. What is their future?

     C. Instead trust in Yahweh. Love Him, have faith in Him. Fretting kills faith

     D. Do good to those afflicting you (rather than self-pity and hatred)

     E. Submit to God’s will while praying for deliverance

     F. Delight yourself in Yahweh and find the fullness of joy in Him while suffering 

    G. If a close relationship with God is your desire, seek Him, and you will have it (Mat 5:6)

    H. Real faith involves a dependent trust and surrender or commitment to Him

         and casting our burdens on Him in prayer (Prov 16:3; 1 Pet 5:7)

     I. Trust in His character: He is holy, just, and righteous and the Judge

     J. Patiently wait for God’s deliverance even if it is until Judgment Day

 II. Comfort from divine retribution (vs. 7–11)

      A. Be still, rest, wait on Yahweh to act (Mat 5:7)

      B. The wicked have an agenda, a plan against the righteous

      C. Replace the negative emotions that can destroy you with deep trust and worship

      D. God’s justice will involve the removal and everlasting punishment of the wicked 

      E. The wicked will soon be forgotten, the righteous will be blessed (Mat 5:5)

III. A contrast between the ways of the righteous and the wicked (vs. 12–26)

      A. The wicked plots against the just, grinds his teeth in anger, prepared weapons to use on the              righteous

      B. Yahweh will laugh, look to the day of deliverance and the Day of Judgment, justly turn the 

           wicked weapons on themselves

      C. The poor righteous are far better off than the rich wicked

      D. Yahweh punishes the wicked and sustains the righteous

      E. Yahweh protects the righteous and gives them an everlasting reward

      F. The wicked will perish and be gone from the land

      G. The wicked borrows and steals, the righteous gives and shows mercy

      H. The blessed enjoy the land of Israel, the cursed are removed from the land

       I. The Sovereign LORD protects and aids those who belong to Him

IV. A call for wise living because of divine retribution (vs. 27–33)

      A. Depart from evil do good, Yahweh does not forsake His holy ones

      B. The families of the wicked reap the consequences of his sin

      C. Yahweh loves righteousness and hates wickedness

      D. Everlasting blessing are for the wise righteous ones

      E. The righteous speak wisdom because God’s moral law is in his heart

      F. Yahweh will cause the wicked plans for murder to fail

 V. A call to hope in Yahweh’s deliverance (vs. 34–40) 

      A. Wait on Yahweh, trust Him, gratefully obey Him 

      B. He is a God of justice, and one day His justice will come

      C. His mercy is holding off His wrath, but not forever

      D. The future of the obedient is complete wholeness and rest

      E. The future of the wicked is destruction and punishment

      F. The salvation of the righteous is from Yahweh

           He is their strength during difficult days

           He delivers them from the wicked

           He saves those who trust in Him

Application: Why should we live in the light of eternity, rather than just for the moment? What good will anger, complaining, fretting, whining, about the prosperity of the wicked do for us? What will trusting God, living by faith, even doing good to our enemies do for us? Which is the wise path, living for eternity, or living for the now only?  What is the price tag for sin? Is it ever worth it? Do you desire a close relationship with God? Do you delight in the God of the Bible? Do you believe in the Judgment Day to come that the Bible repeatedly reveals? How, then, should we live, if today counts for eternity? Which is the real path of wisdom, living for the temporary pleasures of today, with all it consequences,  or living for the future glory in heaven?